Secret sauce

I wanted to share a trick for making a DELICIOUS sauce that I learned from a Japanese food show. This can go on just about anything! Today, I put in on diced sweet potatoes and tofu. So easy and so good!

It might not be something you thought of trying, since it brings together two foods that we don’t think of as being part of the same cuisine. But sometimes putting things together can make magic!

So the secret sauce has only two ingredients: soy sauce and butter! Put these two in a pan with any vegetables and let it brown just slightly, and top with sliced green onion (this really brings it together) and there you have it. The butter balances the saltiness of the soy sauce and it makes a lovely combination. A teaspoon of brown sugar also doesn’t hurt, depending on the vegetable (this works great with green beans) but sweet potatoes have enough sweetness in them as is.

Here’s my recipe from today: (served 1 for lunch!)

Tofu and Sweet Potato with Soy and Butter Sauce – serves 1

• 1/4 block of tofu, cut into squares
• 1/2 sweet potato, diced small
• 1 tsp sesame oil (plus neutral oil as needed to prevent sticking)
• 1 green onion sprout, sliced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp butter

Sauté sweet potato in a teaspoon of neutral oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes. Once the water has evaporated and the potato is beginning to soften, add sesame oil and more neutral oil if needed and then add tofu. Allow tofu to begin to brown, turning occasionally.

Next, add soy sauce, butter, and green onion. Allow the sauce to come together and coat the ingredients, and then cook on medium high until it turns thick and the sauce begins browning quickly. Turn off the heat at this point and transfer to a plate. Enjoy!